Rochester Man Going to Prison for Purchases Made on Illicit Online Marketplace

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced Wednesday, February 05, that Brandon Hall, 23, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that since August 2018, the FBI has been investigating an illicit online marketplace known as Genesis Market, whose operators compile stolen data, such as computer and mobile device identifiers, email addresses, usernames, and passwords, from malware-infected computers around the globe and package it for sale on the market. Purchases made through Genesis Market are conducted using virtual currency, such as bitcoin.

Between November 2019, and February 2021, Hall deposited approximately $224.50 worth of bitcoin in a Genesis account that he had created, using an account he maintained at Coinbase to fund these transactions. Hall used the funds he deposited in his Genesis account to purchase 12 packages containing approximately 1,146 unauthorized access devices.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.